


I See the Light

by freckledchan



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo is a Mess, Disney, Disney References, Disney Songs, Disney Stores, F/M, Fluff, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 05:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18243533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledchan/pseuds/freckledchan
Summary: All Ben wanted was to buy a gift for his daughter's birthday. Upon entering the Disney Store, he knows he's in for much more than he bargained for.This is for the love of my life, AKA Thesacredjeditexts. She's one of my closest Reylo friends and I knew this idea was too cute to pass up when she gave me the prompt. I hope you love it; I had so much fun writing it!Big thanks to Azuwrite for the beta and moodboard!





	I See the Light

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thesacredjeditexts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thesacredjeditexts/gifts).



It was nearly 10 AM, and Ben Solo would have rather been  _ anywhere _ than his local shopping mall, waiting along with a few other parents in front of the Disney store as they prepared to open. He suspected he was about as tired as the rest of them, buying a gift for a son or daughter or niece or whatever. His daughter’s birthday was this weekend, and she’d been absolutely begging for princess garb, having played  _ Beauty and the Beast _ or  _ The Little Mermaid _ on repeat for weeks. He could have sworn each time he closed his eyes he was only greeted with talking furniture and singing sealife. 

It was a weekday, so the line in front of the store was populated by adults, and very few of them, at that. Ben had gotten the opening time wrong, so when he’d arrived at 9 AM instead of 10 he’d just decided to sit there and wait. It wasn’t like he had much else to do at the mall. 

Finally,  _ finally _ , there was movement behind the glass doors, and he could see a few people in uniform moving around and setting up inside.  _ Thank God, _ he thought, foot tapping as he watched them set up a few velvet ropes attached to a giant, almost cartoonish lock blocking the pathway through the store. Great. Was this some special occasion he hadn’t known about or something? 

A petite, chipper employee opened the front doors, and the parents in the line shuffled forward to gather around her; Ben kept his place at the front of the line, brows furrowed, puzzled and curious. 

“All right, good morning, everybody,” greeted the woman who’d opened the store, and Ben blinked, a little surprised by her accent. He hadn’t been expecting that, but it suited her. She wore her hair in three little buns in a row down her head, which was peculiar too. She was grinning ear-to-ear, but Ben saw through the facade. The bags under her eyes told him that she was just as tired as he was, and she was there to put on a show. She was cute, but that was the sleep deprivation talking, _ don’t be ridiculous, Ben. _ Getting up at 7 AM every day to put a five year-old on the bus to school was never easy on him, and it was only natural that his judgement would be a little impaired. 

“We’re going to open up the shop soon, but we’re going to need help from a special volunteer to help us unlock the gate,” the woman continued, and Ben had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He squinted at her nametag to read her name. Rey. It was certainly quite unique; he’d never met a woman with that name before. Rey paused to wait for a volunteer, and then pursed her lips before pointing directly at Ben’s chest. “How about you, will you help?” She asked, and Ben made an awkward ‘me?’ gesture at himself. She nodded eagerly, letting out a little breath that sounded relieved as he reluctantly stepped forward. “What’s your name?”

He cleared his throat. “Ben.” He could feel his cheeks heat up, feel the stares from half a dozen soccer moms right through his back. 

“Ben,” Rey echoed, “I need you to help me find the key. Can you help me look for the key?” She lifted her hand to her forehead as if she was blocking out the sun, slowly turning from side to side. She beckoned for him to join her. 

“Do I… do I really have to do this?” He asked, keeping his voice low so that only she could hear him. 

She looked around past him, and then nodded shortly, looking up to him and hissing under her breath, “please, my supervisor is watching.”

He almost laughed, but he understood, so as painful as it was for him, he lifted his hand to his forehead like hers, halfheartedly searching for the key. Another woman had come into view, carrying a big key that would most certainly fit the slot in the absurdly giant lock in front of them. “There it is,” he pointed to it, relieved that he could stop acting like a child. He had no problem acting a little silly around Cora, but that was when they were alone, and she was his daughter, so he was obligated to.

Rey took the key, beaming up at him gratefully. “You found it! Now I need you to help me and put the key into the lock.” He did as he was told, sliding the heavy key into its slot until it clicked into place. “Wonderful,” she continued, “now, I need everyone to gather up all of their magic so we can unlock it.” She stretched out her arms towards the key and waggled her fingers as if she was performing a spell on it. He half-expected her to ask him to say “abracadabra.” 

Ben complied, a little less reluctantly this time, and counted down with the rest of them before she turned the key and released the ropes around it. The store’s lights came up and he sighed, visibly relaxing at knowing he didn’t have to do anything else silly. The other parents in line crowded closer, and as the woman who’d brought the key moved the lock and ropes to the side so people could enter, Rey turned to him and pulled something from her vest to hand to him. 

“Great job,” she smiled, “here’s this key to remember this day.” He looked down at the trinket, a miniaturized version of the key he’d had to help her find, and smiled a little, amused. He didn’t really want it, but he shrugged and tucked it into his coat pocket. 

“Thanks.”

“You’re very welcome. Let me know if I can help you with anything,” she responded, and he shook his head, so she gave him a little wave, moving to help some of the other parents crowding around her to ask questions about merchandise. 

So Ben disappeared into the Disney store, bombarded with colors and toys and loud, childish music blaring from the speakers. It was a little overwhelming.  _ It shouldn’t be too hard to find the princess dresses. _ After all, there was princess merch everywhere, dolls and accessories and animal sidekick plushies and playsets. There had to be dresses around here somewhere.

It wasn’t long before Ben had gotten thoroughly lost. He was starting to get frustrated, hands running through his hair and tugging at the roots as he circled the same section of toys over and over again. There was an employee nearby stacking shirts, too, the same woman who’d brought out the giant key. She looked tired, mess of red curls tucked into a ponytail. She smiled at him politely whenever he glanced over at her, as if she was waiting for him to ask her a question, but he never did, so she never spoke up. 

He started to get annoyed and pulled out his phone to check how much time had passed when he collided with something fuzzy. He looked up, frowning, only to witness the mountain of plushies he’d just knocked from their carefully stacked pyramid. Oh no. Oh  _ no. _

He quickly backpedaled, eyes widening at the mess, and bumped into a shelf behind him, not quick enough to stop a mug with The Mouse himself printed on it from falling down and shattering on the floor below him. He cringed and hid his face in his hands, sighing heavily. When he finally looked up again, he found the redheaded employee staring at him, looking very concerned. 

“I’m so sorry,” he began, glancing around at the complete and utter mess he’d just made. Not to mention he’d damaged merchandise. “I can pay for--”

“No, don’t worry about it,” she shook her head with a sigh. “I’ll clean this up. Do you, uh, need help finding anything, though? You look a little lost.” She sounded almost scared to offend him by accusing him of getting lost in the Disney store, of all places. 

He was about to shake his head and tell her no when he sighed and gave up. He’d already embarrassed himself in front of this woman. “Yes. I just came in here to buy my daughter a princess dress.” 

She smiled a little, pointing down the glittery blue tiled path that wound through the store. “Take a right. There’s a castle with dresses around and inside it, you can’t miss it.” 

“Thank you,” he nodded to her gratefully and stepped around the plushies he’d disturbed, grimacing a little at the sight, and headed back onto the path. Almost immediately he spotted the little castle, and huffed. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. 

The only problem was that it was an incredibly small structure. A child or a reasonably-sized adult could fit through the entrance easily, but he was neither of those things. Shit. He circled the castle to see if he could find the one Cora had begged for, glittery and yellow with a big, fluffy skirt, but to no avail. He crouched and peered through the window of the tiny castle to see if it was inside. 

The woman from the opening ceremony, Rey, was inside, helping a little girl try on a princess dress. It was the same one he was interested in. He took a second to watch the two interact, curious. 

She had just helped the girl into the yellow dress, zipping it up carefully and moving her hair out of the way so it didn’t get caught. She seemed to murmur something to the girl and then held her hand as she twirled around three times, holding her steady and giggling along with her. Then Rey showed the girl her reflection in a little mirror, grinning wide as the little girl squealed with joy. He could only describe it as if she was some sort of fairy godmother. He knew she’d just made the girl’s day, and he smiled at that. It was sweet, to witness such a magical moment. 

The girl ran out of the castle to greet her parent waiting outside and to show off her princess dress, and Ben returned to his thoughts. He supposed he would have to go inside and get the dress anyways. He approached the entryway to the little castle and crouched down, turning sideways and edging his way inside. 

Rey spotted the hulking figure entering the castle and turned to him, smiling at him. He was caught off-guard because the smile looked somehow more genuine than the one this morning, and wow, how could he not have noticed her warm hazel eyes and the smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks? He tried to stand, to straighten himself out and seem like a normal person, but he’d completely disregarded how small the castle was and ended up smacking the top of his head hard against the roof. 

“ _ Fuck, _ ” he swore, his voice way too loud, echoing off the walls of the small structure. Rey’s head snapped around, as did the few kids’ inside, turning to stare at him with wide, judgmental eyes. Rey gasped loudly, and Ben felt absolutely mortified. His cheeks went beet red, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. He couldn’t  _ believe _ he’d said that in front of several toddlers and the cute employee he’d been fawning over just a minute ago. 

Rey marched toward him, a deep glare shooting daggers straight through him. “ _ What _ did you just say? In front of these kids?” It seemed that any care that her supervisor was watching had left her. The children’s innocence was far more important to her. Though she was probably a foot shorter than him and he could probably snap her like a toothpick if he wanted to, she struck such a fear into his heart that he lifted his hands in a defensive stance. “I should throw you out.” When she saw the look on his face, she faltered a little, shaking her head. “I mean - I’m not. Just… really?” She pursed her lips tightly.

“I’m sorry,” Ben sighed, running a hand over his face, exasperated. This was not how he had expected his trip to the Disney store to go. “Look, I just came in here to buy a dress for my daughter. I didn’t ask to have to embarrass myself in front of everyone or get lost or knock over a display or break something, and I  _ certainly _ didn’t mean to hit my head and fu- mess up in front of you or these kids,” he spoke it all in one breath, letting out a heavy sigh when he was finished. He hardly was able to look at her. 

Rey’s expression softened a little, and she smoothed out her skirt. “No, I’m sorry, I understand. What… what kind of dress are you looking for?” She asked. She seemed sympathetic, but it didn’t sound as if she pitied him. 

He looked up from the floor and met her gaze for a moment, and his breath hitched in his chest. The soft way she was looking at him made his goddamn heart flutter. Then, above the loudspeaker in the store, that dumb song from  _ Tangled _ that he knew by heart because he and Cora would sing it in the car together (only because she begged him to) started to play. “I See the Light,” it was called, at least he thought so. Either way, it was cheesy and he hated that it framed the way he looked at her eyes in that moment, like he’d never seen someone so beautiful. His cheeks heated up and he looked away again. “Uh, the yellow one. From  _ Beauty and the Beast. _ ” 

She smiled and he could have sworn her cheeks tinged pink in a blush too, though it was probably his imagination. “Is Belle your daughter’s favorite princess?” She asked casually, probably trying to make him a little more comfortable as she led him over to a rack of dresses. 

He chuckled a little and gave a shrug. “I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t think she has a favorite, really. She loves them all. She’s just been asking for this dress for a long time,” he explained, looking through the rack before pulling out the right size. He smiled fondly, thinking of how excited Cora would be to unwrap it. 

“Well, I’m sure she’ll love it. Just make sure she feels like a princess when she wears it. That’ll just make it that more magical,” Rey smiled, heading for the exit to the castle. “Did you need anything else today, or can I help you check out?” 

“A drink,” he laughed, and then corrected himself, shaking his head. “No, this is it. Could use a pick-me-up, though,” he sighed, running a hand over his face and being  _ very careful _ when he left the castle this time. 

She was quiet while she helped him check out, looking thoughtful, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. Was she deciding on whether or not to call him out for suggesting day drinking? It  _ had _ just been a joke. Maybe he was just reading too much into her expression. 

He was about to thank her and leave, sorry he probably wouldn’t see her again, when she finally piped up. “If you need a pick-me-up, there’s a Cinnabon just across the way. I try to stop by there every time I’ve had a bad day,” she suggested. 

He paused for a moment, blinking at her in surprise. Whatever he’d suspected she was thinking about, it wasn’t that. Then he hesitated on how to respond. After probably a few seconds too long, and holding up the line of parents behind him, he decided to speak. “That sounds perfect… but not without you. It’s the least I can do for practically destroying your store,” he offered, tensing up as he waited for her to respond.

She smiled bashfully, and it was sincere. She held up a finger for him to wait for her and bent over the counter, rummaging around beneath it before pulling out something and passing it to him. It was a sticker of Belle in the same dress he’d just bought. He looked up at her, puzzled. “That’s for your daughter,” she explained, and then glanced at her watch, looking like she would burst with excitement. “I go on break in 15 minutes. If you could wait until then, we could go together.” 

He couldn’t help but smile wide at her, tucking the sticker into his pocket with the key she’d given him earlier. He nodded at her. “It’s a date then,” his cheeks flushed a little. He hadn’t been on a date in  _ years _ . It was so hard to when you were taking care of a kid. 

“It’s a date,” she echoed, cheeks pink. She was cute like this, he noted. He’d have to try to make her blush more often. He bid her goodbye and finally left the line, ignoring the glare he received from the mother toting a toddler in a stroller behind him. 

He bumped into the red-headed employee who’d witnessed his meltdown earlier on his way out of the store, distracted. Instead of reprimanding him for watching where he was going like she probably should have, she just sighed and gave him a firm look. She glanced back at the counter where Rey stood, being friendly with the other customers in line, and then back at him. “Be good to her,” she warned, looking almost amused when his eyes widened. 

“Don’t worry,” he assured her with an almost sheepish chuckle. “I will.”


End file.
